As a musical devotee, Julian Garza religiously attended live shows, drawing inspiration from his beloved artists. Now established as an independent artist and the frontman for the synth-pop fourpiece Juuls, the Dallas native emerged into the local artist collective, playing stages and owning a 10-single discography stacked with collaborations.
"Listen to your gut and if you believe in a vision, all it takes is hard work and you can make anything happen,” Garza said.
His adoration for euphoric soundscapes grew as he experimented with mixing beats winter 2019. The 25-year-old gambled on transitioning from lifelong listener to future creator. That choice quickly manifested weeks later when he expressed his contemplation with the flourishing indie band Luna Luna after a Manifest Destiny set in Oak Cliff.
Garza struck a $200 deal for a beat from their keyboardist Danny Bonilla and paired it with his heartfelt lyrics. This partnership kick-started his career with the transcendent debut single “Don’t Leave” published to Spotify in Jan. 2020.
“Collabing in the early stages and as a whole has made me a better artist and producer,” says Garza. “I tend to go to people with more experience because they guide the way for me”
Four years of growth in the studio alongside musicians like Rolling Stone featured artist Bonilla, Garza sprinkled in 10 live shows across Texas cities. Juuls played six stages in their Dallas residence and four performances in the live music capital of the world, three of which loaded into one of the many Austin music venues, Taquero Vaquero.
Co-headlining alongside Bonilla at Ruins in Dallas for their latest performance on July 26, Juuls opens their 25 minute setlist with their premier track “Don't Leave”, followed by the whitsful bedroom pop single “How long its been” and further elevated with boppy dance beats. Garza discovered a newfound liberation showcasing his projects under their violet lit set, backed by bassist Cesar Vill, guitarist Brennan Shrestha and drummer Matthew Torrez.
“It feels good that people take the time out of their day to come see us,” says the frontman. “When they sing to my songs, it just feels surreal.”
During the band’s dynamic performance, an audience of 30 rocked their bodies along to their buoyant track “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love and It Sucks.” Garza illuminated the room creating an exhilarating atmosphere as he abandoned his microphone and Casio keyboard to throw off his shirt and leap into the crowd.
“Playing onstage and acting like a fool is the real me because I just like to clown and have fun,” says Garza.
Torrez affirms his radiant persona, describing Garza as silly and energetic since their friendship began in elementary. No longer teenagers but united through their passion for creating music, Juuls ignores the industry pressures, finding joy in the simple moments together. Regularly grabbing gigs on the fly, the four giggle in their favorite studio Rubber GLoves for a quick rehearsal, following their set with late night conversations over a meal.
“We're always having a good time and that's what it's all about for us,” says Torrez.
Sunday mornings consist of the childhood duo jamming out at Church ITP alongside 38-year-old Dustin Cavazos, a full-time producer known as BarbedWireFire. Shortly after Garza’s gateway into the industry with Luna Luna in 2019, he attended a party of local musicians where Cavazos saw potential in the young artist after discussing their future ambitions. Instantly stepping into the producer’s home studio, Far From Home Sound, they’ve grown in individual craft through elevating each other's creative potential.
“Music connects the universe, music connects the world,” offers Garza. “It's crazy how many people it brings together.”
Countless hours at Far From Home Sound released innovative singles for Juuls, pushing heavier R&B beats and stronger euphoric ambiances. Over the complex song structure of his newest track “Just Another Thing” released in October lie Garza’s melancholy lyrics, which he explained as a time of betrayal but realized the ability to brush anything off.
Although he carries a joyous identity, songwriting serves as a consistent outlet for understanding his emotions and hopes others can discover a parallel outlet by listening.
“If someone can relate to the message that I'm trying to put out there, then it makes me happy,” says Garza.
In the strike of the COVID-19 pandemic and a disastrous chemistry course, Garza’s pursuit of medicine came to a halt when he dropped out of Richmond Community College in spring 2020. Feeling bitter at the world, he now admits that working customer service, like his current job selling paint, pushed him further in his sentiment to be an artist by viewing his life as a movie.
As he treasures literary storytelling through song, Garza says one of his future goals is producing a music video. He yearns for a visual aspect to his stories, giving his followers new ways to digest his music. Feeling as if he rushes through projects, he’s slowing down his production process to produce projects holding larger purposes while knowing they’re one hundred percent worthwhile.
“I love seeing the growth,” says Garza’s mentor, Cavazos. “He’s like a little brother to me and I know he's gonna have a great career because he’s more confident as an artist and producer.”
Female rapper Tay Money comes in and out of BarbedWireFires studio where they produced a number of her iconic beats including her top Spotify track “Bussin” standing at over 52 million streams. Cavazos says he envisions Garza in his same role and allowed him to produce a beat for the hip-hop star, projected to be a track on her upcoming project coming soon.
Juuls vanished from the live stages and engulfed in a five-month hiatus, working deliberately in the studio to produce a debut EP set to release in Jan. 2025. Garza revealed the title of one of the anticipated tracks “Choices” produced by BarbedWireFire and described it as a diverse sound, unique to his discography.
“People need to stop misconstructing the idea of living a certain way,” says Garza. “If it makes you happy, then you should continue doing anything that makes you happy.”